Local South Australian salon, ETCHER, has taken home a myriad of awards in recent weeks as the location long revered for its impeccable interiors and on-trend styling team has been recognised nationally for its design and skills.


The gender-neutral, sustainable salon that celebrates diversity has taken home two awards in as many months, being:

  • ETCHER Owner Lauren Cooper winning the 2021 SA/TAS Hairdresser of the Year Award at the Australian Hair Fashion Awards 
  • ETCHER Salon winning 2021 Newcomer of the Year at the Australian Hair Industry Awards 


Ran by (serious power) couple, Lauren and Matthew, the two combined their skills, Lauren with her love of hair and Matthew's magic with management, to create ETCHER. The name is simple: The word “Etch” means to cut, carve and create art with a sharp instrument – with the artist who etches being the ‘Etcher’. I don't know about you, but if find a hairdresser that actually takes off that half inch when you ask them to, that is ART.


The couple originally found the warehouse space in January 2020 and held off signing the lease until May, until they were a little more certain of the South Australian Government’s concerning COVID lockdowns and restrictions - officially launching in August of 2020.


The space has been transformed into Adelaide's most stylish salon, designed by Lauren herself in a pastel pink palette and topped off with a unique mural by local Adelaide artist, Dave Court.


We also have an incredible processing table custom designed and made by Adelaide furniture maker Remington Matters, and our curved pink concrete terrazzo front desk made by Adelaide company Create with Concrete. It was important for us to use Adelaide local companies with our design, as we wanted to celebrate the amazing talents we have here in this city!


To top it off, they have a huge pink neon sign with lyrics from one of Bowie's most iconic songs, Rebel Rebel.



ETCHER uses Sustainable Salons to recycle all of the salons waste, which prevents 95% of it ending up in landfill. Lauren says it's extremely important for them to do their part in making sure the planet stays beautiful for generations to come.


With Sustainable Salons, 100% of the foil is recycled and reprinted back into foil sheets to use again, and all of the hair clippings that are swept off the floor are compacted into cotton sausage logs and used to soak up oil in the event of oil spills. 


Visit ETCHER at 3/45 Gilbert Street, Adelaide, SA 5000.


Renew Labs Fitzroy, empowers Converse customers to renew, rethink, reuse and reimagine, what they have and what they do.

Converse has launched Renew Labs Fitzroy, a retail experience that showcases creativity, co-creation, inclusive ideation and the continuance of a waste-less future for the world. We know that materials matter, and through the services available at Renew Labs we will make them last even longer.

This centre for self-expression will host intimate creative workshops, engaging consumers to customise their Chucks, with patches, embroidery and eco-friendly dyes, alongside opportunities to refresh with cleaning, repair, and renew services. Centred around the Converse Renew product range and a business model that's purpose is to extend the life of our products, we challenge the status quo. Our foundation is a circular design principle that guides Renew products, as each shoe leads the next in reducing its impact on the planet. When we break barriers of culture, style, and innovation, we construct new.


Following those who have ignited change before, Converse is committed to enabling All Stars to Create Next, as they voice important matters with local and global communities. All Stars is a global 
community of creatives driving progress through grassroots initiatives backed by Converse. Forever fuelling progress forward, for the benefit of all.

As the driving force of everything we do, Converse All Stars, call for a shift in the way we think, plan, operate, and most importantly adapt to change. We’re rising to the challenge through the launch of this experimental space. All Stars will play an ongoing and active part in the Renew Labs journey as we collectively test, and learn to create positive change.

Gamechangers like Tamara Leacock, Joshua Space, Callum Preston, Precious Plastics and TreadLightly used their practice to transform the inside of Renew Labs. Our Australian community and consumers have always expressed an eagerness for new sustainable products. As a purpose driven initiative, the opening in Fitzroy was a symbolic choice - a space to come together for environmental specialists, All Stars, and consumers to share in the same vision.


With creativity serving as the guide, Converse united with them to utilise locally sourced materials that were upcycled, recycled, or repurposed. Joshua Space installed planters crafted from 100% recycled 
post-consumer plastic waste. Callum Preston channelled his understanding of youth culture and street art, to create a mix-medium feature wall that doubles as a display unit for Converse Renew products.

As they pushed for a circular plastic economy, Precious Plastics developed alternate machines and technologies for breaking down waste. Constructing the shoe shelves in Renew Labs has made a change to the way we display footwear. Renew Labs will also act as a designated collection point for any pre-loved sports shoes that cannot be renewed, instead being recycled into products like gym flooring through TreadLightly’s initiative.

Prior to the launch, Collingwood based artist Tamara Leacock hosted the first Renew Lab workshop. Her brand R E M U S E Designs sits at the intersection between futurism and nature, Tamara channelling this to mentor Converse All Stars on ways to work low-impact dye techniques and other environmentally friendly customisation practices.

Renew Labs Fitzroy is open now, with limited-edition customised Chuck 70s and an apparel collection that highlight Tamara’s custom indigo dye treatment, only available to purchase from the Fitzroy store alongside the full Converse Renew product offering.


At its core, Renew Labs was born from who we are, who we serve and the future we all want to see. It sits close to the values of our customers, building an even deeper relationship with them. We create 
not only what is new for them, but for us. Forever questioning what we have, and how it can go further.

For more information and store details visit www.converse.com.au/renew-labs-fitzroy.